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Anthony Quintiliani, Ph.D, LADC

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July 19, 2014 By Admin

Human Needs and Spiritual Experience

Human Needs and Spiritual Experience and the Need for Supportive Rituals

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, VermontChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Recently the Human Givens Blog in the United Kingdom presented a post about human needs.  I will paraphrase their information as well as information from other sources for Mindful Happiness.  Having such needs met may have strong positive impact on both physical and psychological health.

Human Givens BlogNot having them met may result in various clinical, psychological conditions and disorders.  Happiness is associated to emotional need satisfaction, and anxiety, depression and addictions are associated with emotional need deprivation.  For optimal functioning humans require about ten core emotional needs to be met on a regular basis.

These needs are noted below:

  1. Being and feeling safe and secureOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
  2. Positive attention from and interaction with others
  3. Volitional autonomy to make personal decisions for life
  4. Emotional connectivity with others – probably better in face-to-face than in digital-to-digital
  5. Membership in a larger community than the self – perhaps sometimes a connections with something greater than the self
  6. Emotional support, acceptance and intimacy in significant relationships and friendships
  7. Quiet reflection and privacy to simply be with yourself – alone
  8. Personally meaningful member ship or social status within your selected group or groups
  9. Good self-esteem from sensing competence, achievement, acceptance, and personal meaning in life and,
  10. Deep personal meaning in life – a purpose for being

For more information refer to blog.humangivens.com on 2-4-14

By Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

Author of Mindful Happiness

CLICK HERE to Order!

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Filed Under: Featured, Human Needs, MIndfulness, Spiritual Experience Tagged With: ANTHONY QUINTILIANI, HUMAN GIVENS BLOG, HUMAN NEEDS, MINDFUL HAPPINESS, SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE

July 19, 2014 By Admin

Helping to Change an Unhelpful Behavior

Mindful Ways to  Help a person Change Unhelpful Behaviors

Brought to you by The Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, VermontChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Although behavior therapy and contingency management remain the most effective means to initiate changes in unhelpful behaviors, more generic approaches offer some promise.  See the steps noted below to change an unhelpful behavior.

Help the person decide intrinsically that a change is needed.  Work with the person to make images of what the change may look like and feel like.  Begin with the smallest possible change the person is willing to consider.  Target very small steps to ensure more success.

Associate the change with changes in thinking, feeling and doing.  At the same time work to ensure some self-reinforcing energy exists in making the change.  How does the change relate to other desires the person may have?  Work to improve the persons’ self-efficacy.

MindfulHappiness_Dr_Anthony-Quintiliani

Begin with a very small step and encourage its continuation.  Plan the rest of the steps in a highly logical manner – small step by small step.  It will help to write out the steps in a logical sequence.

Gently push persistence – advising the person to work at expanding the energetic of the change – that is doing it more frequently and for longer periods of time.  Trouble-shoot the plan if expansion fails.

Mindful_Happiness_Dr_AnthonyQuintilianiOffer only positive, praise-based reinforcement to the person for ALL of their efforts.  Add in additional skills and emotional supports each step of the way that may help to ensure success.

If problems exist in maintaining change, consider what habitual social, perceptual or cognitive habits are in the way.  To enhance motivation use motivational interviewing (MI) – the costs-benefits grid.  Be certain you now how to use the MI grid before deploying it.

By Anthony R. Quintiliani, Ph.d., LADC

Author of Mindful Happiness

CLICK HERE to Order!

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Filed Under: Featured, MIndfulness, Uncategorized Tagged With: ANTHONY QUINTILIANI, CHANGING HABITS, ELEANOR R LIEBMAN CENTER, MINDFUL HAPPINESS, UNHELPFUL BEHAVIOR

July 2, 2014 By Admin

Breathing Meditation Practices

From The Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation, Monkton, VermontChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

– Five Breathing and Meditation Practices –

Attention and concentration on the breath are common practices to attune meditation capacity. We use the breath as an object of attention in our mind training.   The better your quality of attention and concentration, the better your meditation flow.  In an earlier post, I provided instructions on using breath as an object of attention in pacifying the mind.
Today I will provide brief practice instructions for four other breath meditations.  These brief instructions are meant only as introductory formats.

Mindful-Happiness_Breath-Meditation-Practices-BurlingtonVermontCaution: Although it is rare, some people may become anxious when trying to do breath practices.  The anxiety may have many sources: vagus nerve issues, inattention due to digital addictions, a serious anxiety disorder, unresolved traumatic experience involving breaths of submission (in limbic hippocampus memory), etc.  If at any time in practicing these breathing techniques you experience strong discomfort, please STOP the practice.  Be aware that even though breath re-training can be highly effective in calming a dysregulated nervous system, it is not a substitute for prescribed medical or psychological treatment you may be receiving.  However, breath training may be highly compatible with such treatment.  Collaborate with your healthcare provider for advice here.

1) Mindful Awareness of Your Breath As It Is

Sit in a comfortable position, either lotus style or in a straight back chair, or use a stool to sit on with your knees on a meditation mat.  Keep your back and head straight, ears level with shoulders, eyes Mindful-Happiness_Breath-Meditation-Practices-JustBreatheslightly open and downward in direction, and the tip of the nose lined up with your navel (Dogen’s way).  Just allow your awareness to be set on the in and out movement of your breath.  Do not in any way control how your are breathing.  Simply allow your breath to breathe you – paying mindful attention to its flow.   When your attention moves off the breath, gently return your attention back to your breath.  If possible continue for at least 10-20 minutes.  If your attention moves off the breath, use self-compassion to carry it back the breath.  Be kind.

2) Counting the Breaths

Since mental activity (thoughts in the past or future – or even in the present) is often a common distraction in meditation practice, it may be helpful to count to ten for ten breaths.  Sit comfortably in a meditative posture. On the first breath say “one” to yourself on the exhalation; this is subvocal self-talk.  Make the sound of “one” in your mind last all the way to the end of the out-breath.  Then begin with the next breath – saying “two” on the exhalation and holding the thought all the way to the end of the out-Mindful-Happiness_Breath-Meditation-Practices-BreathingPaintingbreath.  Do this all the way up to ten for ten breaths.  When you reach “ten” simply begin again with “one.”  If your mind wonders off the breath before you reach ten, or you catch yourself beyond the count of ten, begin again with “one.”  You may want to make an mage of the number you are saying to yourself.  In this way both cognitive/verbal and visual parts of the brain are active – helping you to meditate.  If your mind continues to wonder off, say the number, make an image of the number, and FEEL the flow of the breath on exhalation.  If possible continue for at least 10-20 minutes.  If you have difficulty, be kind and considerate to yourself – and continue!

3) Variation on Square Breathing

Sit comfortably in a good meditation posture.  Begin with a couple full, deep, cleansing breaths. Then bring full concentration to how your heart and belly feel when you breath slowly and deeply.  On the first full in-breath pay attention to the right side (downward) of your torso from just below the heart area down to the hara (deep belly about 2 inches below the navel and about 2 inches in).  On the first out-breath pay close attention to how it feels when your attention moves (left) across the hare.  On the mindful-happiness-SquareBreathingnext in-breath notice how it feels when you pay attention to it moving (upward) from the hare and up the left side of the torso to the heart area, and on the next out-breaths simply pay attention to the moving breath as you pay attention to it moving right just below the heart area.  A square has been made. If possible practice for at least 10-20 minutes.

4) Gap Breathing Practice

Sit in meditative posture and take a couple full, deep, slow breaths.  Now pay complete attention to the noticed GAP between the in and out breath, and between the out and in breath.  Yes, there is a slight gap in time when you are not breathing.  Do not worry, this gap is natural. It is simply part of our slower, deeper breathing process.  Pay attention ONLY to the gap between the in/out and out/in breaths.  If you can do this, go psychologically deeper into the gap.  It may be bottomless!  If you have problems with mindful-Happiness-Breathing-AnthonyQuintilianiattention here, make an image on a gigantic, beautiful, far-away valley and pretend that your gap is in that deep, distant valley.  Continue to pay full attention only to the gap between your breaths.  If you have difficult, gently and self-compassionately bring your attention back to the gap and nothing else.  If possible practice for at least 10-2- minutes.

Practice these four breathing meditation, and if you like one best – do that one for the fifth.  Good luck on your journey.

 Anthony R. Quintiliani, Ph.D., LADC

Author of Mindful Happiness

CLICK HERE to Order!

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Filed Under: Activities, Breathing, Featured, Meditation, MIndfulness Tagged With: BREATHING, BREATHING MEDITATION PRACTICES, BURLINGTON, ELEANOR R LIEBMAN CENTER, MINDFUL HAPPINESS, MONKTON, VT, WIND RIDGE PUBLISHING

June 13, 2014 By Admin

Advanced Meditation On Perception

Mindfulness Training

 From The Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton,Vermont

ChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenterThe Problem:   Many people become stuck in the suffering of their past, and they continue to re-experience an event in the futile hope to better understand it, or to find an escape from it.  Many of the same people become fixated fearfully on the future, perhaps expecting similar forms of personal suffering and pain.  From Freudian “mastery” to limbic system hard-wired processes, being stuck in the past and apprehensive about the future prevents us from being in the present moment – thus limiting the power that mindfulness may possess to truly  help  us  NOW.

Practice  being  in  the  present  moment  only.

One approach to practice that may be quite helpful is presented by Bhante Gunaratana.  His 2014 book Meditation on Perceptions: Ten Healing Practices to Cultivate Mindfulness offers some important help.

From the Four Noble Truths and other sources we learn that the primary sources of suffering and pain are personal cravings for self-centered desires and the fact that everything always changes.  Root causes for craving are ignorance and delusion about the “way things are” as well as lack of cognitive understanding about impermanence, selflessness, dependent arising, and emptiness.  We humans require a lot of mind training and wisdom about our reality and our happiness.

We will improve our status and may even attain true happiness by recognition of root sensations as the foundations of emotions – mindfulness  in  body,  mind,  sensory perception, and objects of mind.mindfulness-training-mindful-happiness-burlington-vermont-anthony-quintiliani

The Girimananda Sutta offers special mind training on samatha concentration (tranquility, calm abiding), contemplation, and vipassana (“special seeing” via insight and awareness of ultimate reality) meditations.  The “ten healing practices” include meditation on perceptions of impermanence, selflessness, impurities, change, abandoning, dispassion, cessation, non-delight, pure breath, and bodily  feelings   (includes  perception,  thought,  and  consciousness).

mindful-Happiness-Burlington-VT-Anthony-Quintiliani

Let’s begin to practice.  Select one of the ten healing practices, learn about it, and make it your mind’s object of attention and awareness. The seven instructions below may be used with all ten healing practices – or  the perception meditations on them.  Practice regularly.

Practice in a quiet place so that you can build up meditation on perceptions without being disturbed or distracted. When your mind wonders simply and gently bring it back to the healing practice you are meditating on.

Adopt a stable and comfortable posture so your body will be relaxed while meditating.  You may sit on a meditation cushion, use a bench, a chair, or even do the meditation while standing, walking or lying down.mindful-happiness-burlington-vermont-anthny-quintiliani

Bring full attention to the present moment – NOT to the past (it is gone) or to the future (not yet here). Your meditative power is in the  present moment only.  Use  it  well.  Presence  is  sacredness.

Fully focus the mind on the coming and going of your breath – just pay attention in complete awareness.

Expand your awareness of your own breath – coming, going, in, out,  long,  short,  at  the  nose,  in  the  chest,  in  the  hara,  etc.

Be gentle with yourself and your practice.  Do it on a regular basis – daily is best!

Remain flexible and positive in your meditative presence.

Time to begin for as long as you wish to practice. Select one of the ten healing perceptions and meditate on it with complete awareness for as long as you wish to practice.

Anthony R. Quintiliani, Ph.D. LADC

Author of Mindful Happiness

CLICK HERE to Order!

Mindful Happiness cover designs.indd

Filed Under: Activities, Featured, Meditation, MIndfulness, Practices, Training Tagged With: MINDFUL HAPPINESS, MINDFUL TRAINING

June 6, 2014 By Admin

Inner Healing Energy of Chi – Clear  Mind; Tai Chi

Interoceptive Practices for Generic  Tai Chi  & Chi Kung  Postures

By Anthony R. Quintiliani, Ph.D.

From The Eleanor R. Liebman Center  for  the  Study  of  Secular  Meditation  in  Monkton,  Vermont

These practices will require either knowledge of Tai Chi/Chi Kung postures or following pictures of the same posTaiChi-MindfulHappinesstures.  Be prepared before you begin to practice. In this post we will practice postures so that we can concentrate on (be fully aware of)  inner feelings of moving chi energy.  It is recommended that you do some brief warm up exercises  before  beginning  the  Tai  Chi and  Chi  Kung movements. Interoceptive skills are highly important for emotional self-regulation; these skills help us to feel sensations in the body just before  they  activate  as  words, emotions, and behaviors.

Important! Do  these  movements  ONLY  if  you  are  healthy  enough  to  do so.

1) Standing in wu, wu ji or horse posture simply focus complete attention inwardly.  Build attentional power so all other mental activity is replaced by standing still with full attention on inner feelings of your chi energy.   Stand  quietly  in  deep inner awareness of body feelings. online-tai-chi-01

Practice  for  3-5  minutes;  do  your  best  to  stay  focused  inwardly.

2) Gather chi by slowly scooping up imagined chi energy from outside of your body.  As you bring up your arms from scooping low near the ground, imagine that the whole body is covered by healing chi – and that the chi is entering the inside of your body.  Scoop for 3-5 minutes, and pay close attention to feelings inside your body.   Feel  it  all  now.

3) Build chi awareness via calm energy breathing.  In standing posture while breathing-in, bring your hands (palms shoulder-width apart  facing each other) up to your shoulders. Turn palms down and breathe-out slowly bringing your hands back to your hara level.  Repeat this practice for 3-5 minutes.  Remain focused on your body’s energetic  feelings.   Attend to the chi;  allow it to be  your  awareness.

4) Place your right foot out in front of your body (yang) with about 60% of body weight on that foot and hold your left foot at a 45 degree angle (yin).  Extend your right hand out palm facing out up to your shoulder level.  Remain in this posture for 4-5 minutes. Focus attention on the feelings  on  chi  energy  moving  through  your  body.   Notice the feeling  of  chi energy.    Concentrate your mind so it is the chi energy.

5) Repeat the same posture with the same instructions – but now place  your  left  foot  out holding your right foot at an 45 degree angle. taichi_MindfulHappiness_AnthonyQuintiliani

6) Standing stable with both feet shoulder-width apart on the ground, breathe in deeply and calmly.  Now place both hands palms out at shoulder level and push out with some force.  Repeat then hold for 5-6 minutes. Being in full awareness feel the chi energy moving in your  body.    Allow the awareness to be your mind’s only object of attention.

7) Complete several, slow energy ball movement.  Hold your hands palms facing but not touching, and imagine that you are holding a chi energy ball between your hands.  Now while breathing in and out at a steady rate, make circles with your hands.  Bring complete awareness to the chi energy moving in your body as you make these circles.  Practice for 3-4 minutes. Pay close attention to the feelings in your body.  Now speed up the circles (be certain you are making circles).  Practice more rapid circling for 3-4 minutes; notice the energy in your body.  Be sure to breathe fully. STOP!  Be aware of your chi now.

8) To end simply stand silently, breathing in and out slowly and deeply – Welcome to the healing qualities of Tai Chi.

A. R. Quintiliani, Ph.D., LADC

Author of Mindful Happiness

CLICK HERE to Order!

Mindful Happiness cover designs.indd

 For more information refer to Master Kam Chuen Lam (2014). Qigong Workbook for Anxiety: Powerful Energy Practices to Rebalance Your Nervous System and Free Yourself from Fear. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.Qigong Workbook for Anxiety Powerful Energy Practices to Rebalance Your Nervous System and Free Yourself from Fear

Filed Under: Activities, Featured, Practices, Tai Chi, Training Tagged With: ANTHONY QUINTILIANI, CHI KUNG, MINDFUL HAPPINESS, TAI CHI

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